Daily Recap — April 23

“The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.”

— Henri Bergson

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TERROR IN TORONTO

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It’s a sight that’s become all too familiar.

A van struck and killed nine pedestrians this afternoon in north Toronto and the driver fled the scene, according to those wussy Canadian police that ride moose or whatever. Sixteen others were injured in the incident. Authorities said the van has been found and the driver was in custody. They do not yet know the cause or any possible motive, but let’s be real here — it’s probably jihad.

The terrorist is 25-year old Alek Minassian. This picture was taken from his social media:

Both U.S. and Canadian law enforcement say the incident appears to be a deliberate act. Witnesses said the driver was moving fast and appeared to be acting deliberately. Then again, that’s not hard to figure out either.

“Yeah officer, I was just checking my phone and next thing I know I’d mowed down a couple dozen people on the sidewalk.”

Yeah…..no.

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Toronto Police Services Deputy Chief Peter Yuen released no details about the investigation as he announced the casualties. Toronto police are still interviewing witnesses and examining surveillance video of the incident as part of what they call a “complex” investigation.

If you’d like, I’ll give you a rundown of what is happening at this very moment. Surveillance footage is being watched, witnesses are being interviewed and all of Minassian’s electronic footprints are being scrutinized, meaning cops are seeing who he’s been in contact with, what type of activity he’s been involved with online, anything he’s posted, etc.

That’s the “complexity.” Although I’m sure he meant something more along the lines of “tedious.”

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The incident occurred as Cabinet ministers from the major industrial countries were gathered in Canada to discuss a range of international issues in the run-up to the G-7 meeting near Quebec City in June. The driver was likely unaware of that fact, or he may have waited until the G-7 to get a higher victim count.

Then again, he may not be the smartest terrorist in the mosque, assuming he’s a terrorist indeed.

But what do we know about this guy? Eh, a little. Let’s do a quick rundown.

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MINASSIAN HAD BEEN RESEARCHING MASSACRES ONLINE:

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According to reports, Minassian had researched and chatted online about the Isla Vista killings in California in 2014. The Isla Vista massacre occurred when 22-year-old virgin loser Elliot Rodger killed 6 people and injured 14. He stabbed three men in his apartment, then drove to a sorority house and shot three female students outside because they wanted nothing to do with his creepy ass. Then Rodger drove to a deli and shot a male student, and then began driving through the city, shooting pedestrians and hitting some with his car. He eventually shot himself in the head, saving taxpayers beaucoup money.

It’s impossible to say at this point whether Minassian had a more elaborate plan in place to mimic Rodger. At the moment, it appears the vehicle was his only weapon, but that could change as more facts roll in.

What we do know from an eyewitness report is that he appeared to pull a gun on police as he was being arrested, so that puts at least one gun in his possession. I’m hesitant to take this report as gospel, though, because it’s hard to believe that a man fresh off a terrorist attack would survive pulling a gun on police. Miraculous, actually.

Again, we’ll wait for more facts to roll in.

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THERE ARE TWO COMPETING THEORIES WITHIN THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW:

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Terrorism vs. Mental Illness.

Officials have not determined a motive for the attack, though most everyone agrees that it was deliberate. Bill Bratton, a former New York City police commissioner, says that his sources said the driver was known to police and it was being considered a terrorist attack.

However….

Not everyone has agreed with this assessment. Toronto police spokeswoman Meaghan Gray said, “At this point it’s too early to tell what if any motive there was.”

And other outlets, most notably the failing NBC News, report three officials as saying the leading theory for the attack was mental illness.

There is one thing we know, though. If witness are to be believed, the driver had a very controlled type of mental illness, if that is indeed what was at play.

“He did seem to have control over what he was doing,” one witness said. “So it wasn’t some sort of impairment where he was swerving. He just (drove) straight through — and he managed to make a perfect turn at that corner as well.”

Another witness said the van was traveling at a high rate of speed when it hit the pedestrians, but never seemed out of control: “He started going down on the sidewalk and crumbling down people one by one.”

The driver’s deliberate actions don’t negate any notion of mental illness. Mentally ill people, after all, are perfectly capable of intentional acts. But the way the attack is described is more in line with someone who is executing a planned attack designed to rack up a high kill count relatively easily.

It could be a case of mental illness, but the description sounds a hell of a lot more like terrorism.

I suppose we’ll know for sure soon.

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Please keep your thoughts and prayers with the victims and their families. This is an all too familiar story that needs to end, and can absolutely end with a little common sense immigration policy.

I know, I know. A pipe dream.

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WAFFLE HOUSE SHOOTER PREPARES TO GET GRAND-SLAMMED IN PRISON

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The #EvilLoser who shot up Waffle House the other night has finally been arrested.

In a news conference, police said they received a call about a man matching Travis Reinking’s description going into a wooded area. When officers arrived, nearby workers pointed them in the direction where the man was seen walking.

Unlike the Broward County’s finest, these cops actually pursued the suspect, entering the wooded area and walking along pathways.

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One of the detectives came across a man. When that man turned around, the detective realized it was Reinking.

Police said the detective drew his gun and ordered Reinking to get on the ground ‘fo he get shot up in hurr. Other officers quickly surrounded the suspect and before he knew it, he was on the way to meet Big Bubba.

Reinking reportedly looked tired but had clothes, a backpack and identification when Nashville Police caught him. He surrendered without confrontation but could have put up a violent fight.

“When they looked into the backpack they say a semi-automatic weapon with 45 caliber ammunition,” said a police spokesman.

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In embarrassing news, Reinking slipped through a law enforcement drag net of nearly two hundred police, deputies, and federal agents. He was able to walk back to his apartment to get clothes and other items.

He was wearing a backpack, which was cut off once he was handcuffed. Inside, police found a Kimber semi-automatic handgun with .45 caliber ammunition, which also likely came from his apartment.

A wallet was also inside the backpack, and police used the ID to confirm his identity.

Now, he’s off to the hospital for examination, after which he’ll be taken to the Nashville jail to be booked on four murder charges.

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Don’t drop the soap, bud.

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UGH…..THE FRENCH ARE HERE

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French president Emerald Macaroni is in D.C. getting the red carpet treatment from PDT in the hopes of strengthening our two countries’ relationship. The trip is a historic one, as it marks the first time in the last 2 years that Macaroni has removed his lips from Obama’s ass in order to conduct international diplomacy.

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But beneath the pomp and circumstance the state visit brings — streets lined with fluttering French and American flags, an elaborate military welcome and a meticulously planned state dinner — the two leaders are expected to tackle a slew of pressing foreign policy issues, from the Iran deal to the Syrian civil war, counterterrorism and Russian aggression. Enjoy the warm fuzzy photo ops for now, because the daylight between the two men on most of those issues will become readily apparent over the next couple days.

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Tweeting this afternoon, Macaroni previewed his message to Trump:

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“The United States and France share a long history, we have led revolutions together to defend freedom and democracy,” he wrote. “It is our turn to live up to the example set by our history.”

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Hmmmm…..that sounds very neoconservative. We better watch this little surrender-monkey.

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Macaroni was likely referring to the Syria debate, in which he’s been privately urging PDT to maintain and even increase our military presence in the country. PDT, knowing his base will implode should be commit to anything remotely resembling nation-building has been extremely reluctant to play along, to his credit.

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The two leaders will get down to bidness tomorrow following a military welcome on the South Lawn. In addition to the aforementioned Syrian situation, other big items on the itinerary include PDT’s harsh trade approach and the trade wars Macaroni fears it will bring, along with the fast-approaching deadline on the Iran deal, which Macaroni is pushing PDT to stay in.

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Trump has (rightly) threatened to pull out of the Iran deal and roll back US sanctions on Iran by May 12 unless major changes are made to the embarrassment negotiated by the Barry administration, which capped Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions. France, Germany and the United Kingdom — key signatories to the deal — are in the midst of negotiations with the US aimed at assuaging some of Trump’s concerns, but large gaps still remain.

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Some Trump administration officials have reportedly been preparing options for withdrawal from the agreement, hoping to be ready should PDT abruptly make his announcement over Twitter (lol). Macaroni’s visit is seen as the last best hope of swaying Trump toward a compromise, rather than the all-or-nothing approach he has signaled on the Iran deal.

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Pro tip, fellas: Trump is always about negotiating a compromise. He starts out with all-or-nothing approach because it allows him to negotiate from a position of strength, rather than beginning with concessions (as Obama would do). It’s pretty mind-numbing that so-called experts haven’t figured this out by now.

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Macaroni is already getting his Iran Deal talking points out there:

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“What do you have as a better option? I don’t see it,” Macron said of the deal. “What is the what-if scenario or your plan B? I don’t have any plan B for nuclear against Iran. So, that’s the question we will discuss.”

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On trade, Macaroni feels PDT is making too many enemies and thus taking an unsustainable route to deal re-negotiations:

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“You cannot make a trade war with your allies,” Macaroni said. “It’s too complicated if you make war against everybody, you make trade war against China, trade war against Europe, war in Syria, war against Iran, it doesn’t work. You need allies.”

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Welllllllllll…. isn’t that convenient.

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Actually, yes, you damn well can make war with your allies if they’re screwing you over. Like, say, NATO COUNTRIES WHO DON’T PAY WHAT THEY AGREED ON NATIONAL DEFENSE……Like, say, FRANCE.

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The good news is there are reports that Macaroni is preparing to increase his defense spending in order to reach the 2% his country agreed to long ago and PDT now demands. Do you know why? Because PDT wasn’t afraid to call out his “allies” about screwing us over.

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If not for PDT’s willingness to stand up and say we’re not taking this garbage anymore regardless of where it’s coming from, Macaroni wouldn’t have given a split second’s thought to owning up to his NATO responsibilities. But he did, and now Macaroni is.

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I think the way PDT has done things thus far has been just fine, thank you. Worry about living up to your side of the deals we already have before you lecture our president on how to make news ones.

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K bud?

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BIG PICTURE:

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I know that it’s great to see a European ally showing respect to PDT and vice versa. Melania looks amazing, her menu sounds delicious, the military welcome is awesome to witness, so on and so forth. I get all of that. I’m susceptible to it as well.

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And I know that my cynicism regarding the French president makes me sound like the Grinch who stole everyone’s good mood, but I have to be straightforward with my readers.

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Macaroni is a globalist. He is far more at home with Merkel and Obama than with PDT. If he had his way, Hillary would be POTUS right now. So while we should always welcome talks with our traditional allies, let’s not lose sight of who we’re dealing with.

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The fact is, if Macaroni gets his way, we’ll kowtow to Iran, hop back into the Paris Climate Accords, invade Syria, continue to let everyone screw us on trade, relax the Muslim travel ban and raise everyone’s taxes again.

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Pretty much every single thing Trumpers are against, Macaroni is for, and he’s currently at the White House trying to talk PDT into going his way.

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Just sayin’…..let’s be clear-eyed here.

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Enjoy the White House visit, President Macaroni. Then get on back to France.

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POMPEO CLEARS THE MINEFIELD

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After weeks of political posturing, lawmakers on the Hill have found it in their hearts to support one of the most qualified secretary of state nominees in our country’s history. Gracious folks, they are.

One of the biggest question marks — and obstacles — regarding Pompeo’s confirmation has been the opposition of Rand Paul (Little Person – KY).

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Paul’s ‘surprise’ 180 came minutes before the SFRC was to vote on Pompeo’s nomination, and likely switched the result.

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Pompeo looked to be headed for defeat, but if all 11 Republicans on the committee backed him, he would win the panel’s recommendation in an 11-10 vote even with every coochie-capper voting “no.” In explaining his U-turn, Paul said he had received assurances from PDT, who had been lobbying him behind the scenes.

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Paul’s previous opposition to Pompeo would have made the CIA director the first SoS nominee since the mid-1920s to be moved to the floor despite getting an unfavorable committee vote.

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Paul previously said he would “do everything I can to block” Pompeo, citing his support of the Iraq War and views on waterboarding. But Paul found himself under pressure last week from Trump and some of his GOP Senate colleagues to confirm Pompeo.

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“I hope that Sen. Paul will reconsider because if he changed his view then this would be over, and it really does bother me,” said Twinkletoes Graham. “He ran for president; I ran for president; Trump beat us both. … The election is over.”

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Father forgive me; for I have agreed with Twinkletoes Graham.

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“Having received assurances from President Trump and Director Pompeo that he agrees with the President on these important issues, I have decided to support his nomination to be our next Secretary of State,” tweeted the Randinator.

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While we’ll certainly take this victory, it’s important to note that the battle against obstructionism is just getting warmed up, as PDT reminded us this morning via Twitter:

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“Hard to believe Obstructionists May vote against Mike Pompeo for Secretary of State. The Dems will not approve hundreds of good people, including the Ambassador to Germany. They are maxing out the time on approval process for all, never happened before. Need more Republicans!” Trump tweeted.

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He’s correct. Cryin’ Chuck is using obscure Senate rules that allow him to take 30 hours to “review” nominees before giving them a vote on the floor. The vast majority of Trump’s nominees are highly qualified, and many of their positions are in dire need of filling. It’s another shameful chapter in the story that’s been written by congressional Dims and NeverTrumpers since PDT took office. They couldn’t give less of a damn about the country so long as they’re able to #Resist PDT in some way.

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Frankly, it makes me want to punch something. These people are scum.

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THE PATH AHEAD:

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While today’s victory is certainly welcomed, it’s only the first hurdle to getting Pompeo in place. Fortunately, it looks like we’ll be able to get ‘er done in the Senate.

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After examining the numbers, I feel comfortable in predicting that Pompeo will be confirmed, likely with a couple votes to spare.

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Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a North Dakota Democrat who isn’t stupid enough to piss off her Trump-heavy state, is a definite “yes,” which means he’d have the votes if all other Republicans — minus the Randinator — vote in favor.

That means even if RINO extraordinaire Jeff Snowflake ends up voting no, Pompeo should still be able to win confirmation.

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There are two other currently undecided senators who caucus with the Dims who are viewed as on the fence and possible yes votes: Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine.

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I feel more confident about Jones than King. Jones is an actually more dependable Trump vote than some Republicans (thank you for that, Alabama). King, on the other hand, is to the Senate what Anthony Kennedy is to the Supreme Court; someone who enjoys being flaky because it makes him unpredictable.

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In any event, I see Pompeo as an almost sure thing, barring an unforeseen scandal rolled out by the #FakeNewsCrew in the next couple days.

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BIG PICTURE:

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Here is a list of hard pills for Trump-haters to swallow:

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1) Pompeo is going to be confirmed.

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2) Pompeo is really good at what he does and is going to help PDT finish the miracle in North Korea that no one before them could even come close to accomplishing. Boy, will there be a lot of sky-screaming that night. Side note: isn’t it sad that people will be bummed out about avoiding nuclear war? Trump Derangement Syndrome is a hell of a drug.

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3) Pompeo and PDT get along really, really well. PDT trusts Pompeo. That’s rare in D.C., especially for The Donald. Not sure if you noticed, but friends come at a premium for him in that town. That should worry Dims, mostly because of Pompeo’s previous position as CIA Director. The reason being, if Trump has developed a family-type trust for a CIA guy, it’s because he’s been given good reason, which means Pompeo has taken out some trash and pissed off the deep-staters around him. I have a feeling we’ll be finding out a lot more about that in the future.

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4) That last item really has nothing to do with the SoS job (other than the fact he earned Trump’s trust to get the nomination) but you needed to read it anyway.

5) Please, Mr. President, we can’t take all this winning!

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Keep that chin up, Trumpers. Good days await us.

There it is, homeskillet. You know the drill: questions, comments, concerns, memes, insults, compliments, stickers, jokes, emojis and, if we have time, complaints.

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